Join Me
by Serinidia
Summary: Summary: The boys go up against a creature that they've never heard of before and their best chance of figuring it out is Castiel. It's a shame the angel was tortured by Uriel and isn't doing so well… Hurt!Cas Worried!Boys Bobby
1. Betrayal

**Author's Note: I do not own Supernatural, I merely borrowing the boys for fun, not for profit. Spoilers for "On the Head of a Pin". Anna is not in this simply because I'm not her biggest fan... so I left her out. And her helping Cas would screw up the entire plot-line for this story XP **

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><p>Uriel gazed down at the trench coated figure with something akin to disgust. Why could his brother not see that their father was no longer with them? Why must he cling to the foolish hope that He still cared about what was going on? The hulking man shook his head and sighed before his vessel's features twisted themselves into a snarl.<p>

"I still serve God." The voice was tired, pained and out of breath.

Grabbing Castiel's shoulder, Uriel bunched the muscles in his vessel's powerful arm up, drawing the limb back as he clenched his hand into a fist. "There is no will." He hissed before letting go of his brother's shoulder and slamming a fist into his cheekbone. The older angel smirked slightly when he saw how Castiel's body rocked to the side from the force of the blow.

Dazed blue eyes looked into his deep brown ones as he snarled, "No wrath!" Once more his fist connected with prominent cheekbone. For a moment Uriel thought that he heard a small crack. It took a few seconds longer for Castiel to straighten up but when he did Uriel could still see the pathetic look of devotion on the other beings face. "No God!" He spat furiously, arm rising so as to pound the devoted look off of his fellow being's face. Hesitating, Uriel lowered his arm before kneeling down in front of Castiel, bringing them eye to eye. "Reconsider," he urged, baritone voice a bit softer, more pleading then it had been a few minutes ago. "Join me brother!"

There was a minute shake of the other's head then a soft, "No."

"Then so be it!" The bigger angel snapped angrily before summoning his blade. Clutching the cool hilt in his massive hands, Uriel pressed the tip against Castiel's abdomen. Estimating as to where the diaphragm's location was, the older being shoved the blade into his weakened brother's body. His hands were slowly covered in wet warmth as he gazed deep into a pair of pain fogged eyes. He could feel tremors of pain starting to wrack Castiel's frame, could see how pained the deep ocean blue eyes were becoming, how the other celestial's jaw clenched. More importantly though he could see the glow of the angel's Grace starting to leak around the razor-sharp blade. Not wanting Castiel to die just yet, Uriel withdrew the blade stood up. He took a step back before lashing out with his foot, kicking his brother in the stomach and sending him flying across the room and into the wall. "He doesn't here you." Uriel snarled, knowing what his former comrade was probably doing mentally. "So don't bother."

Confident strides carried him over to where the other being lay curled up against the wall. "Join me." He hissed once more. Again there was a "No," although it was much weaker then before.

"You will join me brother, even if I must 'convince' you to do so." A more sinister expression flittered onto the older angel's features as the words left his poisonous tongue and infiltrated the air around them.

Castiel was panting harshly as he lay curled on his side, wings exposed and twitching every so often. Pain was coursing through his very being, burning, consuming and destroying. He can hear his charge calling him but the angel lacks the energy to go to him. Everything hurts, every little movement is excruciatingly painful and the angel loathes breathing. He only does it to keep his vessel alive seeing as he's occupied with his true form being seriously injured. He can hear Jimmy talking to him, reassuring him and instructing him as to what to do to stop the bleeding as well as he could. He's also demanding for Castiel to allow him to take control so that the angel can fully rest. Castiel refuses though, not wanting Jimmy to suffer the pain from the gruesome injuries that adorn his body.

Once more the voice that sounds like Dean is making itself heard in the back of his mind, demanding that he gets his feathery ass down there. He wishes that he could go to his charge but he is unable to. A low groan sounds in the back of his throat as he tries to anyways. He falls back gasping for air when the attempt proves to be another failure. Great black wings twitch in agony.

_I'm sorry Dean_, the thought runs through his mind, _but I can't help you right now.  
><em>

The celestial being shudders as he hears heavy footsteps making their way towards his prone form.

"Will you join me now?" The deep voice asks, and Castiel closes his eyes with a tired sigh.

"No." The answer stays the same, will always stay the same. "I still serve God."

"We've been through this Castiel," The voice grows deeper, more menacing. "There is no God. Not anymore."

The angry retort is met with silence as the angel braces himself for the pain to come. It first washes through him in the form of a foot stepping on one of his outstretched wings. Then rough fingers are running through the soft feathers, snagging and pulling as they make their way to the tip of his wing. Then he feels the sharp edge of metal slicing through the helpless appendage. The only thing he can process at the moment is the burning hot pain that tears through him as a result and he tries in vain to pull his wing away. The action is reprimanded with a snap. The snap of bone breaking…followed by the sound of an angel's scream….

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><p>"I'm just saying, he's not going to come." Sam muttered as he looked up at Dean. His older brother was still pacing the room, calling for Castiel to get his feathery ass to where they are.<p>

"Yes he will." Dean retorted, stubbornly refusing that the angel would ignore him. Especially with him calling him this many times. "Cas!" The older hunter half shouted as he glared up at the ceiling. "Cas we need your help!"

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><p>Castiel groaned weakly and his body shuddered violently from the pain that was crashing through his body in almost overwhelming waves. He licked his parched lips slowly, almost absentmindedly, eyes shutting with a sigh. A low cough ripped itself from his vessel's chest and he doubled in pain, a hand moving to trace over the sigil branded into the upper left corner of his chest.<p>

The angel gasped for breath once the cough was finished tearing through his chest and he lay still. His hand rubbed the Enochian sigil slowly, as though trying to make it disappear. Whatever his vessel felt, he felt and the angel wasn't very fond of that at the moment.

He heard Dean tell him that he and Sam needed his help and the angel flapped his wings once, not really thinking before he did. Pain burst through him, his broken wing protesting the movement loudly, his jaw clenching and eyes squeezing themselves shut. A low sound keened from his throat as he felt tears of pain prick at his eyes. The angel swallowed thickly before gritting his teeth. His charge needed him.

Face pale, the celestial being forced his battered frame upright, moaning softly as he did. Bracing himself mentally, the angel pushed downwards on the air with his wings, while he focused on his destination.

Bobby Singer's house.

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><p><strong>Please leave a Review!<strong>

{{To Be Continued}}


	2. Finding Cas

**Author's Note: I do not own Supernatural or the boys, I'm merely a huge fan that enjoys commandeering them for entertainment and not , and this chapter contains major whumpage and a bit of blood...**

****Content: Angel Whumpage and Concerned Winchesters  
><strong>**

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><p>The tendrils wove their way through the slick passageways as they throbbed with a raw excitement. Nothing was left untouched as they scorched the red tunnels and filed out into little caves that branched of off the fluid filled tunnels. The insubstantial thing knew that it was doing its job, and doing it well when it heard the moan that wrenched itself from its host. Encouraged by the verbal display of discomfort, the 'creature' made its way up past the broken and jagged ribs, through the internal organs and up the host's back. It flared with passion as it brushed against broken shoulder blades before gathering itself and hammering into the celestial being's wings. The wings of an angel were absolutely delicious when it came to wrecking havoc and discomfort.<p>

Especially when said angel was trying to fly with shredded and broken wings….

Pain's host shuddered violently as it assaulted the once magnificent wings with an eager brutality. The pain was shoved into the back of its host's mind and it resented the action by sending out another wave of agony to crash down on the celestial being.

There was a soft sound, barely audible as the angel neared its intended destination. The pain shot another venomous barb out and felt the angel falter, felt what remained of the once magnificent wings hesitate and then freeze.

And the angel went crashing down; the damaged wings strained to slow his descent, fought to gain control of the situation. It was a hopeless struggle, and the Angel of the Lord knew it. Rusted old cars that were stacked up into semi-organized piles were gazing up at him, as if welcoming him into their cold metallic embrace.

The trench-coated figure hurtled through the air before his frame collided with an old Ford Mustang. The rusted old car buckled inwards under the impact, its groans covered by the scream of an angel in agony. What had remained of the great black wings were now horribly broken. The right wing was twisted under the angel's body in a fashion that made it appear to be missing, for it was hidden under the left wing.

Tremors wracked the celestial being's frame as his body attempted to cope with the trauma that had been added to already severe injuries. A low gurgling sound made itself heard in the angel's throat as he tried to breath. It was an action to which his ribs protested loudly and a whimper escaped his lips as a result.

"Cas, get your feathery ass down here!" Dean shouted as he fixated a vexed glare up at the ceiling. Annoyance and frustration was flickering through his eyes as he waited. This had to be the fifteenth time that he had called his so called guardian. "Dick." The oldest Winchester growled when the angel once again didn't come.

The hunt that they were currently delving into was extremely confusing and the Winchesters weren't sure exactly what it was they were up against. Which meant that if they happened to stumble upon the creature then they'd technically be screwed seeing as they wouldn't know how to kill it.

Dean grunted and ran a hand over his face tiredly as he went back through the notes that they had already gathered on the creature.

The hearts of all the victims are missing, however there isn't a mark that implies that an incision was ever made

Nobody has seen the thing but it appears to attack the sick and dying

That was all that they had been able to gather so far and was extremely frustrating. Sam was continuously looking into any untimely deaths, paying particular attention to the local hospital. One of the staff members of the hospital had recently died of strangulation, only when looking over the security footage, the boys couldn't see what was causing the man to gasp for breath . He appeared to be choking on air, the man hadn't had anything in his mouth at the time and there was nothing that appeared to be causing him to choke. Dean knew two things for sure. The first thing was that the man had been coming down with some sort of illness. The second was that his heart had seemingly vanished after his death. The coroner had noted that were no scars indicating an incision on the victim and that other organs were in as good a condition that a dead man's insides could possibly be.

He could sense his younger brother staring at him and he turned around , "You know Sam, you really need to work on tha-" The hunter cut himself off when he heard a loud….sound… His hands flew up to his ears and attempted to block out the noise, the piercing sound rising in decibels. Dean squinted as he cautiously lifted one hand so as to see if the sound was gone yet. It sound so freaking familiar, and yet the hunter couldn't place where he had heard it. He looked over at his brother before motioning that it was ok. "You alright?"

"I'm fine." **_Typical Winchester response,_**Dean snorted mentally, eyes rolling. He reached down to take a swig from his beer bottle and his hand met empty air. Snarling, Dean looked down before his eyes widened. The liquor bottle was simply _not there_ anymore. Instead there were broken pieces of glass strewn about the table.

"Sam…go check the windows…" The sentence left his mouth without his say so. Dean furrowed his brows as he flashed back to the gas station. Green eyes lit up with the discovery before they darkened with worry. Surely Castiel or any other angel would 'talk' like that around them. By now they just _had_ to know that it was unhelpful when it came to communicating effectively with humans.

"Dean all the windows are blown out; what the hell was that?" The younger Winchester looked down at his older brother. (**_damn it all, he looked down at him, not the other way around. Younger siblings weren't supposed to be freakishly big_**) Dean could see the wondering curiosity that was barely concealed in Sam's eyes and he snorted. "Man, you're such a nerd!"

"Am not," Sam retorted giving Dean the bitch face number 3 as he looked up from the notebook that he had been writing in. If he didn't document things then how the heck was he supposed to keep it all together?

"I'm going outside…I want you to come with me."

"Don't I always?"

Dean didn't reply, already walking out of the door with a worried expression on his features.

Castiel shifted his weight slightly, trying feverishly to free his crippled right wing from where it lay pinned under his vessel's, _no his_ body. He heard an animalistic whimper from somewhere nearby, his pain wracked mind unable to process that the sound had come from him.

Harsh, labored breaths were wheezing out of his lungs as he shuddered, his face turning towards the house. He saw a door open but was unable to call out, to inform the man in the doorway that he was here. That he hadn't been ignoring them. He shifted minutely before a searing wave of pain swept through his system. He swallowed thickly, trying to get the metallic taste out of his mouth before he coughed, red staining the palm of the hand that he'd brought up to cover his mouth.

Something that sounded like feet trampling ground made its way towards him and the Angel struggled to sit up, to assess what new threat this could possibly be. What sort of trick was Uriel playing on him now? Had his former comrade not done enough to torture him? Panicked breaths rattled weakly out his lungs as he floundered, much like a crippled bird might when a cat stalks in for the final blow. For the kill….

Dean Winchester was rendered speechless when he saw a familiar trench coat lying crumpled atop one of Bobby's piles of clunkers. "Cas?" The angel's name slipped off of his tongue as he broke into a run, swiftly going through the piles until he was looking up at Castiel. Terrified looking blue eyes peered down at him and he saw the celestial being flounder in a desperate attempt to get up. "Hey man, Cas, take it easy buddy." Dean tried to soothe when a low almost whine-like sound emanated from the angel.

It scared him to see the angel so weak. It wasn't natural…not right…

He was a freaking Angel of the Lord, he shouldn't be weaker then Dean.

Castiel was supposed to be practically invincible.

A sigh of relief escaped him when the angel calmed down, still panting harshly as he looked down. "De'?"

"Yeah, its me Cas." Dean soothed, swallowing the lump in his throat as he did. "Its going to be ok."

"Was't ign'e you…" The angel panted looking down at him with earnest blue eyes.

**_Wasn't ignoring you_**, Dean translated mentally and he blinked. Damn, the angel could read minds…had to…either that or the celestial being knew him so freaking well it bordered on the line of creepy. "I know buddy, just…uh…" The older Winchester cleared his throat, Sam was better at this kind of thing. "Hang in there Cas, we'll patch you up."

Castiel nodded and attempted to roll, so that he wasn't above Dean but stopped when his wings snagged. Teeth sank into his forearm so as to keep his true voice from shattering the hunter's ear drums.

Dean watched awkwardly, not sure of what to do as the angel rode out the wave of pain. Lumbering footsteps informed him that Sam was approaching. "Sam, help me get him inside." The words slipped out of his mouth, face taut with worry.

"Alright Cas, on the count of three we're going to get you down and into the house, ok?"

Silence.

"Cas?"

Silence.

"Alrighty then…" Sam mumbled before reaching up and carefully started to lower the angel down to Dean. It wasn't until his hands brushed against something incredibly soft that they got a response from the angel. A response not entirely pleasant…..

The angel's back arched and he screamed, screamed in his true voice…

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Yes, another cliff hanger . But in my defense, I must keep you guys 'hooked' right? Lucky for you guys I'm feeling decidedly generous and will be uploading the next few chapters for you this week! (<em>Yes you heard correctly my friends, this week!<em>) However, PLEASE REVIEW! I like reviews they "make me very happy."  
><strong>


	3. Broken Wings and Missing Beer

**Author's Note: I do not own Supernatural or the boys, I'm simply borrowing them so as to have some fun. This is not done for profit! Just for some good old fun….and your viewing pleasure of course  
>Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter and remember, REVIEW!<strong>

**Warning: Blood and Whumpage**

**Side Note: The chapter starts off in a series of flashbacks that pick up right where the last chapter left off.  
><strong>

**Chapter 3- Of Wings and Missing Beer**

_Dean was here now, everything would be ok. All he wanted to do was relax, to slip off into the blissful oblivion that was waiting for him with outstretched arms. A voice was nagging him though and the Angel of the Lord groaned mentally when it continued to call for him. Other words spewed out of the mortal's mouth as he kept talking, making Castiel want to smite the annoying thing out of a tired anger. Large hands swept over his shoulder and the angel tensed before swallowing thickly when brushed against an over-sensitive wing. His left wing swept outwards in an involuntary action when his right one screamed in agony. He felt his good wing clip something followed by a thudand a muffled curse._

_Then the rough, large hands were running their fingers through his thick hair in what was surely a display of reassurance. Why did he need to be reassured? The reasoning failed to make itself known to the celestial being as both voices started to talk. Then the hands were carefully touching his back once more. The angel tensed, body taut with a combination of fear and pain. He found himself suddenly sliding down from his metallic resting place into a second set of arms. The first thing that registered itself was that the creature he was now nestled up against was warm. And that he felt safe. A labored breath rattled through his lungs as he swallowed thickly and slowly opened his eyes. _

_Castiel found himself peering up into two alarmed green eyes as their owner ran a careful hand over his broken body. A shudder wracked its way through the celestial being at the painful sensation and he whimpered softly. The hand froze on his ribs before Dean realized that the angel was awake. _

_"D'n?" The words came out as a choked plea, a beg to make the pain stop, to make everything all better again. A cough rattled its way through his chest from the effort and he felt Dean cautiously pull him up to his chest, strong arms soothing the angel._

_"Its going to be ok, Cas, I promise." The words were filled with an underlying doubt but Castiel didn't have the strength to point that out. His wings were lying limply next to him and the angel attempted to move one of them before hissing at the shooting sensation that the movement had called._

_"De'n." The angel's voice was a little stronger this time. He needed to tell the hunter how Alistair had managed to escape the trap._

_"Easy Cas, listen man, just don't…" The words drifted off as the younger man looked up. "Don't talk buddy."_

_"De'an…" the sound was growled in between a few pants for air. "Al't'ir…" Coughs wracked the trembling form. Pain reared its ugly head, blocking whatever it was that the angel had wanted to say. The seemingly small body of Jimmy Novak doubled as the angel sought relief from the overwhelming waves. _

_"Cas?" The voice was older, a bit more gruff and confused then either Dean's or Sam's. It was Bobby Singer…_

_The angel weakly turned to look up at the older man, his eyes studying the other's body language as a single phrase ran through his mind. **Crap, he's going to be pissed off about his alcohol…**_

_Bobby Singer didn't know what to think when the first scream pierced the air and assaulted his ears. The old hunter had quickly brought his hands over his ears, seeking to protect his eardrums. He twisted his body away from the windows when the sound got even louder and he was glad that he had a few moments later. The sound had died off and the hunter glowered as he looked around at the room he was occupying. He turned to take a swing from the bottle of beer that he had previously been nursing only to find that the object was gone. A puddle of amber oozed in the shards of glass and the hunter felt his face turn decidedly red._

_"What the HELL?" The words burst from the irate hunter as he looked around at the rest of his booze bottles…or rather…where the bottles had been. He heard the boys go outside and didn't pay any attention to them as his infuriated mind could only focus on what he'd do the son-of-bitch that had dared cause harm to his precious alcohol. It was then that he spied one bottle still standing, still full of the wonderful amber colored liquid. Jack Daniel's. _

_Eyes lighting up, the old hunter walked towards the bottle and he reached out so as to grab it when the second scream. The sound seemed to be more ragged, more raw then it had been before and the hunter guessed that the boys were ganking it. His eyes hesitantly looked back to where the bottle had been before he growled. _

_Another part of his booze was destroyed. _

_He was still fuming over this when Sam burst into the room, blood trailing out his ears but seemingly unmindful of it._

_"Bobby? We need your help." The youngest of the Winchesters informed him with wide eyes. _

_"With what?" The words came out as a snap._

_"Its Cas, Bobby…" The younger hunter looked down, worry filling his expressionistic eyes. "Bobby… he's hurt bad…."_

_For the first time in a long time, Bobby Singer was taken completely by surprise. "Balls."_

_Seconds after his fingers had come across the incredibly soft thing, Samuel Winchester found himself nearly dropping the angel as a shattering scream escaped from the celestial being. It took every bit of strength for the youngest hunter to keep from letting go of the celestial being in order to cover his ears. As he carefully lowered Castiel's shivering form back to where it had been resting Sam could feel something warm and wet trickle out of his ears. _

_He didn't need to see it to know that it was blood._

_As soon as the angel had been lowered back onto the metal top of the old Mustang, Sam found his hands over his ears and saw something large and black sweeping towards him. He instinctively dropped to the ground, just barely missing being clipped by the black…thing…_

_His brother wasn't so lucky and he winced sympathetically when he saw Dean go flying before his flight was cut short by a stack of rusty old cars._

_Had that been a wing?_

_As soon as he saw the angel go limp, Sam removed his hands from his ears. A ringing sound ghosted him in the absence of the angel's scream. "Dean?"_

_There was a groan in response before his brother slowly pushed himself back up onto his feet. "What the hell was that?"_

_"I-uh… I think that was one of his wings…" Sam informed him a bit awkwardly before turning to look at the still form of the celestial being._

_Dean's eyes widened, the angel had never fully exposed his wings before. The only time he'd 'seen' them was when Castiel had shown him his wings' shadows when they'd first met._

_"Go get Bobby." Dean ordered after they'd gingerly lowered the angel to the ground. Sam nodded, taking one last look at them before running to get the older hunter._

"So, Cas if you could hide your wings, or get them out of the way so that we don't touch them then that would be great." Dean whispered soothingly to his angel as he the quaking being looked up at him with trusting eyes. There was a slight nod before a look of concentration fixated itself on the usually stoic face. A flicker of pain flashed through the celestial being's eyes before he shook his head with a small whimper.

"B'nes," There was a pause as the angel caught his breath, "br'en."

_**Bones are broken,**_ Dean translated mentally before wincing sympathetically and running his fingers through the angel's hair. "If I were to reset them, would you be able to do so then?"

The angel seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding slowly.

The hunter took off his belt and gave it to Castiel to bite down on, hoping that it would help keep the celestial being from screaming in his true voice. "Ok…uh, just stay still Cas because this is going to hurt like a bitch."

The comment was met with a confused expression and Dean could tell what the angel wanted to ask him just by the look in his deep blue eyes. "Not literally, I don't-it…its just an expression for when something is going to hurt a lot." There was a small nod from the angel and Dean helped him roll onto his stomach slowly. Heavy footsteps approached followed by slightly softer footsteps and the older Winchester looked up to see Sam and Bobby. A relieved smile broke out as he motioned for Sam to come over. "I need you to help me with his wings."

The younger hunter nodded and crouched his massive frame next to Dean as he took in the hideous state that the great black wings were in. Feathers were laying askew amidst pools of dry or drying blood. The appendages were twitching slightly as Castiel trembled, his body jerking with a hiss when Dean carefully touched his left wing. "Easy Cas, I know its going to hurt but trust me."

"I do." The angel had momentarily spat out the belt in order to reply as he twisted ever so slightly to look up at his charge. He saw something flicker in the oldest Winchester's eyes before the determined look took back over.

Steady hands smoothed down some of the feathers carefully as they felt for the bones in the angel's wing. They were a mess. Slowly, hesitantly, the hunter straightened out the bone that attached the wing to Castiel's back. A sickening snapping sound filled the air as the bone was snapped back into place and a violent shudder ran through the angel's prone body. Another snap, another bone fixed and another shudder.

The process seemed as though it would continue forever as Dean kept righting the broken bones to the wing. When he had finished, the hunter rocked back on his heels and sighed, wiping off bloodied hands on his jeans with a sigh. "Almost done Cas." He soothed as the angel shook underneath a steadying hand. Bobby had gone back inside to clean up the broken glass and to get a spot ready for Cas.

Thankfully the angel's other wing didn't look to be in nearly as bad shape and after giving the celestial being a brief respite, the hunter set to work fixing the right wing.

When he was done he smoothed a few feathers before looking down at Castiel. "Alright buddy, see if you can tuck your wings now."

A grunt answered him as the angel shuddered even more before the great black wings disappeared from sight. The angel panted, whatever energy he'd had was now gone. Sam helped him lift Cas up and carry him inside where they placed him on one of the beds.

Now that the celestial being was under proper lighting, the trio could see the full extent of the damage done to his body.

"Did he say anything?" Bobby asked gruffly as he felt a surge of protectiveness swell through him from seeing the celestial being in this sort of shape. He wasn't sure why but it was there and the older hunter went back to sweeping up some more the glass from the floor.

"He tried to say something about Alistair." Dean replied softly, looking down at the torn body. "But he couldn't finish."

"Why come to us though when he knows we're pissed at him about what happened to Anna?" Sam spoke up from where he'd been thinking by some of the books present in the room.

"Especially when he go hang out with his angel buddies." Bobby continued, understanding where Sam was going with the question.

"And Cas came to your aid when Alistair was beating the shit out of you…a bit late…but still…." The youngest Winchester mused as he leaned against the wall.

"Kinda his job to keep my lily-white ass safe Sam." Dean muttered in reply. "Which is practically impossible to do."

"I talked to him, out in the hallway when he first came to check up on you in the hospital…" Sam admitted slowly, "And he didn't want to or was to scared to believe that the demons weren't behind the killings of his brethren."

"Why would he be scared? He's friggen angel that doesn't even blink when someone stabs him in the damn heart!"

"And demon's don't know how to kill angels… I heard him admit it."

"So what can kill an angel?"

"An'ther an'l." A gruff voice spoke up from where the owner lay on the bed. Castiel swallowed thickly, fighting to stay awake in order to tell the brothers what he knew. "It…" the angel paused breathing in as deeply as he dared, "w's Uriel."

"Wait, what about Uriel?" Dean asked not wanting to believe what he was thinking that Castiel meant. Sure the other angel was a dick but surely the guy wasn't that bad.

The angel was panting with as he struggled to make his voice work, "Ever'ing."

"Balls." Was the only word that came from the old hunter as he stopped what he was doing with a look of disbelief. "Balls."


	4. Angel Hearts Make Good Meals

**Author's Note: Hey guys! As you know, I don't own Supernatural and the boys, and that won't happen no matter how much I wish it would.**

**_Content: _Blood, Talk of Eating Flesh, a Creepy Old Dude and some Angelic Fluffiness. (_after all the gory stuff of course, you guys know my style_)**

**Chapter 4-An Angel's Heart Makes a Good Meal**

The old man watched from where he stood in the corner of the room. Wrinkled fingers tapped against the wooden cane as he bided his time patiently. He could wait, didn't mind waiting for the event would inevitably happen regardless of if the others wanted it to happen or not. He lifted his free hand and held it out towards where the ailing woman lay in the hospital bed. She'd had a bad case of pneumonia and was in the recovering stages. Not that it really mattered all things considered. She had a hidden cancer that was slowly killing her from the inside out and that was all the mysterious figure needed to kill her. His wizened features twisted themselves into a grotesque parody of a smile as he limped over to where she lay. Her family was here but they couldn't see him. The only one that could see him was a young lady dressed in black. Her bright green eyes stood out against her pale complexion and richly colored brown hair. Her eyes narrowed when she saw him before moving closer to the woman on the bed.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed as she stepped closer to the figure on the bed.

"You know exactly what I am here for, Reaper."

"You're supposed to be dead!"

"So sorry to disappoint young one." The man retorted dryly, "But as you can see I am very much alive and I would suggest you step away from that soul." The cane gestured towards the bed.

The Reaper hesitated, not wanting to abandon her job. It was the hesitation that cost her and in a matter of seconds she found herself choking, hands flying up to her ivory colored throat. Her confused green orbs looked up at the old man as he smirked. "I warned you child." He snarled before he made a pinching motion with his fingers and she dropped, invisible body lifeless on the ground before it disappeared even to his eyes.

"That's much better." He grunted, leaning on his cave before turning his attention back to the bed-stricken soul in front of him. "Now for your turn…"

Perhaps it was Fate who intervened at that moment or perhaps it was just chance, but the Old One felt a different soul tugging at him, beckoning him like a moth to the flame and he turned his attention away from the woman. This was something that he'd never felt before, hadn't even dreamed of being possible.

With a wave of his hand the old man disappeared from the woman's bedside and reappeared in Bobby Singer's house.

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><p>It had been a few days since Dean had found the angel crumpled atop the pile of rusty old cars. The angel hadn't woken up after his desperate attempt to stay conscious and Dean Winchester couldn't help but revisit the celestial being's struggle to remain awake.<p>

**_Flashback_******

_"Just take it easy Cas, you gotta rest man or else you'll never really heal up." The hunter had tried to soothe his friend as he fought to keep the stricken angel on the bed. Terrified blue eyes peered up at him before the angel coughed harshly, his body folding double before a pained whimper wrenched itself past his lips. _

_The angel's head fell against Dean's chest weakly as the celestial being attempted to anchor himself in the present and not slip off into the oblivion that beckoned him with its cold embrace. He knew that if he gave in then he might never wake again and the thought terrified him. Angel's weren't mean to be brought down like this, they weren't meant to suffer this kind of brutality at the hands of another celestial being. It was wrong, wrong on so many different levels. _

_"D'n…." The word refused to fully form as the angel snuggled closer to his rock, to his reason for survival and shivered in the cold that assaulted his weakened form. He felt his legs curl up, knees tucking to his chest as far as possible before the celestial creature felt his stomach start wrench itself in his gut, as though the organ was trying to turn itself inside out. The angel gasped, arms wrapping around his torso before he groaned and slowly rolled away from the oldest Winchester. He felt a concerned hand on his stomach and then he felt his body shudder violently from the dry heave that tried to turn itself into a less then dry heave. Into a heave that actually brought something up with it. The next heave wasn't so kind and the angel could taste something bitter make its way up the back of his throat and into his mouth. The coarse texture made his gag reflex start to trigger as he choked on the vile substance. Castiel vaguely felt hands lift him up carefully before a bucket was placed in front of him and soft words of encouragement were whispered into his ears. Body trembling, the angel decided to go along with what he was being told and allowed his body to heave before the vile substance rushed back up his throat and out of his mouth. It tasted of nothing but acid and maybe the tiniest hint of blood. Then he was on his back, a larger body underneath him and holding him in a protective manner. Hands carted through his hair soothingly as the human tried to offer him some sort of comfort and he leaned into the gesture, eyes closed . His chest moved rapidly as his sore lungs did their best to breath properly for him._

_"Just breathe slowly Cas, in…..out…..in…..out…."_

_The angel sought to match the rhythm that the voice was suggesting. Why did it hurt so much to breathe? It shouldn't; never had before and the angel couldn't hold back the wave of resentment he felt for Uriel. The fact that his friend had done this to him was the most traumatic thing about the whole event. Castiel had never been a naïve soul but this…this was a completely different level of wrong. His body shuddered once more as a cough rattled his frame and the angel wheezed for more air. His deep ocean blue eyes showed his fear and uncertainty about what was happening to his vessel and he buried his face in Dean's stomach, as if the hunter could make it all go away. He felt a hand cautiously rub his back lightly, soothingly. And then the hunter's lips were near his ear, tickling him with his warm breath. "Easy Cas, this going to hurt but its going to be ok buddy, I promise."_

_The angel peered up at him and swallowed nervously, unsure of what the hunter meant by that. Whatever it was, he was sure that it would not be fun._

_The large hand was gentle as its fingers felt along his shattered right arm but the angel still whimpered and attempted to jerk away from the touch. Dean's arms tightened their hold around him and Castiel suddenly found himself unable to move. The already rough breathing became ragged, unsteady, gasping and wheezing and almost completely useless as the angel started to fall into a panic attack. This reminded him all to much of when Uriel had restrained him in a similar manner in order to break his sensitive wings.  
>The hand came back, a bit more firm in its grip now and the angel jerked, close to hyperventilating as the horrid memory continued. His grace flared and the angel's body stiffened, breathing momentarily stopped. The world dimmed before suddenly, almost to quickly, he was aware of someone pounding on his chest as they forced air into his uncooperative lungs. Dean was yelling something but the angel was unable to understand what the hunter was saying. Pain reared its ugly head when the air was forced into his lungs once more and the angel felt his back arch as a low keening noise filled the back of his throat before he trembled, body seeking to draw in as much oxygen as it could. Dean was still talking but Castiel still could not understand what was being said.<em>

_A hand carefully and almost reverently grabbed his shirt before scissors sliced through the material with ease. There was an inhaled breath and a gruff, "Balls."_

_The angel tried to look but found himself unable to when he was pulled back against Dean. The hunter was growling something in his ear but the angel couldn't register the words. He bit his lip to hold in a pained cry when Bobby Singer's fingers ran over his ribs. One of the ones that had decided to shove through the flesh and skin above it screamed in agony and the angel felt bile rise up the back of his throat. He swallowed reflexively, jaw clenched so tight that a part of him feared that his vessel's teeth would crack under the strain. He could feel his body shake before it buckled in, trying to fold when Bobby carefully examined the rib that had shoved itself out of his flesh._

_"St'p…." The plea wrenched itself from the celestial being as the last shards of his pride crumbled into oblivion. Dean said something directed at Bobby but the older hunter shook his head and the probing fingers returned. The pain returned and the angel felt a ragged scream tear its way through his raw throat before a void made itself known to him. The angel didn't think about it as he beckoned it to come hither with his mind, desperate for some sort of relief from the pain._

_The dark void reached out to his grace and slowly engulfed it._

_**End Flashback**  
><em>

The hunter grunted as he looked down at the sleeping form of the celestial being before he sighed and got up. He needed to get some more clothes so that he could try to lower the angel's body temperature. The guy was like a furnace and Dean briefly wondered how his meat suit hadn't turned into a piece of bacon yet. He walked into the kitchen and glanced over at his younger brother before smirking. "If you get that nose any closer to the print it might just pop out and bite you Sammy."

The comment was met with a half-hearted glare as the youngest Winchester looked up from the big book that he was currently occupying himself with.

"Dean…we really need Castiel to wake up…."Sam trailed off, not wanting to sound like a complete ass. "We need his help with whatever this thing that we're up against is, or else it will just keep killing unchecked."

"Yeah…. I know Sammy, but Cas isn't really up to that at the moment."

"Thank you my dear Watson." Sam retorted as he rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

"I'm serious, its been almost a week since he was last awake for more than 5 minutes and longer still since he's even been awake." Dean vented as he paced before going over to the refrigerator and grabbing a beer.

"Well, his true form was obviously injured, maybe he's just taking care of his wings first before he heals up his vessel."

"I don't think so Sammy."

"Why not? I mean it makes sense."

"Well if that was the case then why bother coming here at all? He needs us Sam, and I think its because he doesn't have access to his mojo right now." Dean sat down at the table before glancing at one of the old tomes. "Find anything yet?"

"Nope." Sam frowned, "Its like no one has heard of this thing before, it makes no sense whatsoever."

"it's a shame Pamela isn't around anymore…." Dean commented softly, looking down at his fingers. It was their fault that she was dead. If it hadn't been for the damn angels then none of this would be happening right now. However, if they hadn't gotten a Holy Tax Accountant then they'd probably be stuck with some dude with a brick up his ass. Not that Castiel didn't have a stick up his ass, but at least it wasn't a brick. The angel let them get away with certain things that Dean was sure a different angel wouldn't.

Castiel opened his ocean blue eyes slowly, taking a moment to blink before his surroundings came into focus. He was startled to see an old man leaning on a cane in the corner of the room and his eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" The question grated itself through his vocal chords as the angel sat up. His question was met with a very surprised look as bushy brows rose dramatically.

"How can you see me?" The voice was laced with power before he slowly moved over to the celestial being's bedside. "Never-mind, that is not of importance, what is important however is your heart young one."

"What about it?" The angel's muscles tensed as he eyed the wizened face warily.

A pink tongue swept over ancient lips as the man winked at him. "Its going to be positively delicious." He smacked his lips as though to empathize the point before he pulled his sleeve up. "You know, you are very special….you…you glow and you seem to be as though a taste would be just _yummy_." The old man sat next to the stricken angel as the other being attempted to move away from him.

"I do not _glow_." Castiel hissed, a bit offended by the thought. He tried to roll off the bed, to get anywhere but where he was right now. His throat seemed to close off and he gasped for air, hands going up to his throat instinctively.

"Oh contraire." The ancient being's voice was lofty as he gazed down at the angel. This divine creature was now at his complete mercy. Then he reached down, fingertips grazing Castiel's chest . He felt the angel's heart beat frantically and a slow, predatory smirk engulfed his lips.

Castiel's grace recoiled, disgusted by the creature inside of the old man's meat suit. He didn't have time to reflect on that notion though as a pain spread from his chest.

It was as though someone was driving bolts drenched in demon blood into his chest. His back arched in pain as his wings exposed themselves and beat down on the air in alarm. The wind that was stirred up by the movement was strong enough to blow over one of the lamps with a loud crash.

Blood trickled out his mouth when the long fingers clenched themselves around his beating heart. The angel screamed for Dean mentally. His breathing hitched when he felt a sharp tug and then the blood filled the back of his throat quickly. The angel choked on it, unable to breathe as his body screamed at him frantically.

He could feel Jimmy panic and the angel wrapped the horrified soul with his Grace, attempting to shield him from the atrocious act being performed against his body. Anger surged through the celestial being at the fate that was being disposed to his vessel. Jimmy Novak was a good man and didn't deserve this kind of death.

A door slammed open and the angel attempted to curl up, to protect his vessel from any further damage. The fingers withdrew quickly, making the angel's body jerk involuntarily. A horrified part of himself saw the creature lick his fingers slowly, as though tasting some sort of fine wine instead of his blood. His heart was slowing down and the angel poured his Grace into the area, fixing it as well as he could without using up to much of his energy in the process.

Hands placed themselves on his shoulders and he looked up into worried green eyes as his breath rattled ominously in his chest. His eyes flickered shut, body and mind weary from the ordeal that had been inflicted upon them and Castiel couldn't help but wonder if Uriel had conjured up this entire scenario. Wondered if Dean wasn't really in front of him, if he was actually on this soft bed or if he was really still on the cold, hard ground where they'd been holding Alistair. He would prefer that it stayed this way, that this illusion continued. Maybe it was a selfish thought, and the angel knew that he should not be having such thoughts yet at the moment he couldn't bring himself to care.

He felt someone shake him and he slowly opened his eyes before turning slightly so as to face the hunter better. A shaky sigh escaped his lips before he gingerly touched his chest, as though he were still in shock over what had happened a few minutes ago. The hunter's lips were forming words and yet Castiel couldn't understand what was being said. He saw Bobby come in and he looked over at him tiredly before attempting a weak smile in his direction. The older hunter went over to him and looked down at him. "Castiel?" The gruff voice questioned. "You in there kiddo?"

Cas managed a small nod, vocal chords not working yet. He felt the bed dip down and he found himself peering up at Bobby, a look of concern underlying somewhat stoic mask that he was wearing. "What did you get yourself into ya idjit?"

Castiel looked over at Dean and mimed writing something on a pad of paper. It took a moment for the oldest Winchester to catch on before he went off into the other room in order to grab the required materials. He returned a few moments later and handed the pad of paper and pencil to the angel who immediately started sketching something. Sam peered over the celestial being's shoulder curiously before he frowned, clearly puzzled when an old man's face gradually appeared on the paper. Even the tiniest details didn't evade the angel as he tediously drew a realistic portrait of the creature.

"You almost got your ass reamed by a grandpa?" Was the snort that left Dean as he shook his head. The comment was met by a glare from the angel and Dean shifted uncomfortably.

"You could say that." The angel grunted reluctantly as he sat up a little. "It would not have been possible if I wasn't in such a weakened condition." There was a faint rustle as the angel shifted his immense wings in a clear reminder that he was still a different and more powerful creature then they were.

"So what exactly was it?" Bobby asked from where he leaned casually against the door, arms folded across his chest.

"I have a hunch but I am unsure at the moment." Castiel answered, still glaring at Dean before he turned his attention to Bobby. He tilted his head and seemed to think about something before a rather confused look took its place on his face. "It said I looked yummy."

It was Dean who choked on the beer he was currently taking a swig from and the liquid sprayed from his mouth as he looked over at the angel with wide eyes. "Yummy?"

"Yes." There was a short pause, "And that I glow."

"Like a firefly?"

"My butt does not blink on and off." There was a _very_ indignant and rather insulted tone to the angel's voice as the celestial being sulked at the comparison. "Nor am I that puny."

It was Bobby's turn to nearly choke on the Jack Daniel's he was nursing at this statement and he looked over at the oldest Winchester who looked like he was picturing the angel with a 'blinking-glow-butt'.

Sam was sitting in the corner, obviously trying to stay serious even though the younger side of him wanted to laugh at the exchange between the angel and his brother. Deciding that keeping a straight face would serve him the best, Sam cleared his throat before thinking about the question he was about to ask. "Castiel….what exactly happened to you man? I mean, besides the generic answer."

The angel froze before he turned to look at Sam with wide eyes. It was as if the youngest Winchester had asked him to invite Lucifer over for tea.

There was a tense silence before the angel spoke. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable with talking about the past. "Uriel….does not believe…he…" The angel shuddered as he thought about the atrocious acts that his brother had committed against his family. "He was the one killing the angels of my garrison."

Dean's grip tightened on his beer can until it crumpled under the force applied to it and the liquid sloshed out onto the hunter's foot. The Winchester didn't seem to notice though as he looked at the angel in a stunned silence. "Son of a bitch." He cursed, eyes narrowed before looking back over at Castiel.

"He…he wanted you to join him, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"And you refused." Sam stated flatly, looking at the angel in concern.

_No shit Sherlock_, Dean retorted mentally, knowing that his brother had merely been stating a fact and not a question.

"Yes." The single word left the celestial being's mouth once more. His tone made it clear that he was not happy with having this conversation but the boys decided to push for more information.

"Cas…what…what did he do to you?"

A slight smirk played its way across the angel's face as he thought back to something in particular before his expression turned serious again. It was strange to see emotions playing across the celestial being's features but it was something the three hunters enjoyed seeing. "He was unhappy with my answer." The smirk returned. "He said that you were a bad influence Dean."

"I tend to have that effect on people." Dean muttered awkwardly.

"What exactly did you tell him?" Sam asked curiously as he scooted a little closer to them.

"I told him to stick his head where the sun don't shine." Castiel answered solemnly, expression incredibly serious.

Dean guffawed at this and Sam found himself trying to keep a straight face once more as Bobby shook his head in disbelief.

"That'd only piss him off even more you feathery idjit." The older man muttered under his breath.

The angel winced, "I noticed that."

Another moment of silence made its way into the room as the angel's strength started to fail him. He was only still awake of the power of his will. "And that was why I did not answer you. I was….otherwise preoccupied."

* * *

><p>It was a few hours later when Dean found himself trying to get the angel to eat the beef stew that they'd had for dinner a little bit earlier. The three of them had figured that it would help his vessel's body heal a bit faster if had some of the nutrients supplied to it that an Angel couldn't provide. At least, not when an angel's grace was drained as much as Castiel's was.<p>

"I do not require _that_."

"You need to eat."

"Angels don't eat."

"In case you haven't noticed your kinda low on the mojo right now."

"Thank you for reminding me of the fact."

"Your welcome. Now eat the stew."

"It looks vile."

"Well its not, its perfectly edible."

"Dean, I've seen the stuff you eat."

"Your point?"

"My point is that you'll eat just about anything."

"Aw c'mon man, you know that's not true!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes really, and you're not going to distract me."

"Who said I was distracting you?"

"I did, idiot."

"True."

"Now. Eat. The. Stew."

"No. I do not need it."

"Then why aren't you all healed up?"

"Because my energy is low."

"Exactly my point, the stew will help with that."

"What if I do that weird thing again?"

"What thing?"

"The thing that tastes bad."

"Oh, you mean puke?"

"If 'puke' tastes vile, then yes."

"You won't."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Now eat, feathers."

"I WILL NOT!"

"Won't what?"

"Eat feathers."

"Dude, I didn't tell you to eat feathers you moron."

"Yes you did. 'Now eat feathers'."

"Feathers is a nickname you idiot."

"Oh."

There was silence as Castiel seemed to consider what Dean wanted him to do before he cautiously took a bite before he slowly ate as much as he could of the stew. It took him a while to down half of the bowl before he pushed it away when Dean tried to get him to eat some more. The hunter carefully set the angel back against the pillows before he went into the kitchen to put the bowl away.

"Any luck?" The question came from Bobby as the older hunter compared Castiel's drawing to various images in one of his books.

"He ate about half of it." Dean set the bowl down next to the sink before grabbing a drink out of the refrigerator and popping the top. "He's really stubborn."

"Good thing."

"Sometimes," Dean shrugged before going over and looking down at what Bobby was doing. "Find anything?"

"Oh yeah…. All sorts of neat facts ya idjit!" Bobby growled, pushing Dean away. "Now go back to playing Nursemaid."

"Where's Sam?" Dean asked, deciding to ignore the jibe.

"Researching in the town library."

"Do you think he'll like pie?"

"What the heck are you talking about boy?"

"Cas, do you think he'd like pie?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know that?" Bobby growled before waving a hand at Dean. "Now get out of here!"

Dean smirked slightly before going into the kitchen.

Castiel was going to eat some pie whether he wanted to or not. And he'd like it because Dean said so.

**Author's Note: Well, this chapter was the result of nearly four days without internet, which means a four days without reading some good Castiel/Supernatural fan fiction, one in particular because of the insanely brilliant amount of Castiel whumpage that it contains. ~sighs~ I knew I should have downloaded it before leaving! And well…poor Cas paid the price. I felt horrible for being so mean to him earlier in the chapter so today I decided to be a bit nicer … (5 hour car ride does wonders, aye?) So that was where all of the fluff came from XP I'm not as good a fluff writer as I am whump writer so I'm hoping you guys liked it J**

**Satisfaction: 9/10**

**Song: Angel With a Shotgun by The Cab. (That song was freaking _made_ for Castiel, I swear….) I listened to it over 100 times according to my computer while writing this chapter up…. (still can't get enough of it)**

**Anyways, your FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS NEEDED! For quite a few reasons… the most important one is to know if I'm getting the characters right, (I try, I really do)and the other reason is to know you guys don't read and go, "Hmmph, what a piece of crap, screw reviewing!" **

**And… I do my best to reply to reviews as soon as possible!**


	5. Of Pies and Uriel

**Author's Note: ****You guys have no idea how happy your reviews, watches and favorites have made me. I had a crappy day the other day and when I logged into my email I was elated to see those, they definitely made my day. It also made me happy to hear/see that I'm not a fail at fluff writing XP Castiel's muse would like to thank you for that to, (he really does need a break, poor fella)**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Supernatural, merely having fun with the boys just for a good read. I am not making any profit off of this. (unless you count happiness and satisfaction, of those I am guilty) **

**Content: ****Fluff and Castiel whumpage mixed in with a dash of Uriel and pinch of the monster.**

**Song: ****Angel With a Shotgun by the Cab. **_**Somehow my computer was playing it in two different programs so it would be like, "Sometimes to win you've got to sin, don't mean I'm not a believer…" and then the other would repeat the line. It was actually pretty neat XP**_

* * *

><p>Dean Winchester glanced up and down the aisle with an indecisive sigh while his fingers drummed against the shopping cart idly. There were so many flavors to choose from and the young man was tempted to just buy them all. He would if he didn't fear the wrath of the man called Bobby Singer. He was positive that the older hunter would not be amused if Dean came back with a year's worth of pies cradled in his arms. Then there was the matter of where he'd put it in order to store it. It wasn't like he could eat it all in one go and the hunter wasn't even sure if his friend would even like pie. Or a particular flavor…which was why he was tempted to buy <em>all<em> of the flavors. He grunted before biting his lip and grabbing several pies and put them into the shopping cart. After he'd crossed that particular dilemma, the hunter found the shopping trip to be extremely easy. He grabbed several packages of gauze, Neosporin, pain killers, disinfectants and a variety of other medical related things. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a mother of three look at him strangely but he ignored the stare. It probably looked like he was getting enough supplies to fix up an army and in a way he was. Only, it was technically a three-man and a celestial army. _Team Free Will_. Medical supplies picked up, Dean headed over to the meat section and continued to make his round through the Harris Teeter.

It all totaled out to a price well over two-hundred dollars but the hunter knew it would all be worth it if he could get his friend to eat some pie. A quick glance at his cell phone told him that he had no messages waiting for him and the young man let out a sigh of relief. No messages meant that Castiel hadn't had any complications. He carefully settled the bags into the back of one of Bobby's old beaters, (_there was no way in hell that he was using his baby for a grocery run_), and got in.

When he got back to Bobby's house Dean whistled as he gingerly removed the bags of pie. Sam was in the kitchen reading something and Dean quietly tip-toed past him, trying to sneak as much of the pie as he could into the freezer before either Sam or Bobby could see just how much he'd gotten. Operation Pie-Stash proved to be successful and the oldest of the Winchester boys smirked as he walked back over to the table casually. "Cas wake up yet?"

"I don't think so, Bobby hasn't been down in a while." Sam shrugged as he took a sip from the Diet Coke that was sitting in front of him. "I can't find a single thing on whatever that _thing_ was." The younger Winchester huffed, a flash of annoyance flickering across his eyes. "I've looked through every imaginable resource there is and _there is nothing_."

Dean bit his lip as he thought intently before he grunted. "Cas said he had a hunch, let's just ask him what it was."

Sam nodded, "That would give us a better place to start at least." He took another sip before swallowing somewhat thickly. "Hey Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you…" Sam hesitated, "Do you think that what Uriel was doing to Cas…" The younger hunter's words trailed off before he cleared his throat and continued. "Do you think it was anything like the tortures the demons commit in Hell?"

Dean frowned, he hadn't even considered that possibility. _I need to stop thinking of the dude as invincible, its obvious that he isn't._ "I don't know Sam, I really don't." He tried to make it seem like he didn't really care so as to avoid chick flick moment but he knew that he'd failed when he saw the understanding look on his little brother's face. Dean hoped it hadn't been as bad for Cas as it had been for himself. He knew that the celestial being hadn't told them everything about what had happened to him during his time with Uriel and Dean was partially afraid to ask him.

Castiel didn't withhold information unless he was concerned for either their safety or if he felt as though it would be an unnecessary burden. _If he's not telling us because of the latter then I'm going to kick his feathery ass._ The hunter grunted at the thought before he headed up the stairs to go check on the angel.

He stood in the doorway for a long moment. It was still so weird to see the angel snuggled under layers of blankets. His thick brown hair was mussed from sleeping and a slight smile was on his face as he lay nestled in the bed. Whatever it was he was thinking or dreaming about was making him happy. The hunter sighed, not wanting to wake the angel from the peaceful state he was in. Last night had been rough for him when it came to getting sleep. The poor bastard deserved to get some good rest. From what he'd understood, Castiel had been having nightmares, or the angel equivalent to one at least. A fond smile tugged at Dean's lips as he thought about the nightmares.

**Flashback**

_"Alright Cas," the hunter grunted as he got up from where he'd been sitting. "I'm going off to bed; if you need anything then make sure we know about it." Dean moved to take a step towards the door when he suddenly felt long fingers grip the sleeve of his shirt. Green eyes traveled over towards the owner of the fingers and he felt a jolt of surprise at the expression on Castiel's face. Panic. "Hey, hey, Cas, its ok. I won't be that far away, right across the hallway actually." He attempted to calm the celestial being before he bit his lip and peered down into the terrified blue eyes. The angel was shaking and Dean Winchester knew that it wasn't because of the cold that wracked his fevered body. _

_"You're scared…" Dean mused aloud as he realized why the angel was acting so out of character. The only reply he got was a small and reluctant nod from the angel. The hunter reached down and ran a hand through thick brown hair gently, trying to offer some comfort to the other being without it turning into a complete and total chick flick moment. It was nice to be needed again and Dean Winchester hadn't realized just how much he'd missed it until now. Sammy hadn't been little brother he'd left behind for all that time. This Sam was a different Sam. This Sam was an independent person, a Sam that didn't need his older brother to watch his back as much as he'd had before he'd been taken to Hell. And it hurt, it freaking stung that his baby brother didn't really need him the same way that he had before. On the other hand, Sam was still sensitive to other people's feelings, he was still the soft-hearted man that Dean had left. _

_He hadn't been needed like this in far to long for his liking; but now however, now he was needed. Someone needed for the hunter's big brother instincts to kick into gear and help them through the inner demons that they were facing. There was another weak tug on his sleeve and Dean nodded slightly. "Its ok Cas, I won't leave." That being said, Dean realized that he'd probably need a place to sleep. The only available option was the other side of the bed and the hunter frowned slightly. The thought of sleeping in bed with an angel was odd and Dean tilted his head slightly. He heaved a sigh mentally before he grabbed some of his pajama pants and went into the bathroom in order to change out of his jeans. He left his undershirt on though, not wanting to make Castiel uncomfortable. Once he'd brushed his teeth, (Dean kept essentials in practically every room of the house, because one never did know if they'd be stuck in a room for a while) he awkwardly sat down on the empty side of the bed. After fluffing up the extra pillows, Dean arranged them so that he'd be sitting up, however it would be at an angle. This way his back wouldn't hurt and he wouldn't have to worry about hitting the headboard. _

_He felt a jolt of relief flash through him when Cas didn't move and he realized that the angel was sleeping. A soft smile stole over his face when he looked down at the angel. He looked so damn young and peaceful when he was asleep. He looked like a naïve child, untried in the ways of life. Dean kept the smile where it had settled across his lips as he closed his eyes. Castiel was slowly recovering and things would be alright…._

_It was later on in the night when the oldest Winchester awoke due to the feeling of someone thrashing in the bed. The hunter was confused at first before his brain turned itself on and he realized that it was Castiel who was thrashing. A soft whimper filled the otherwise silent room and Dean frowned in concern. "Cas?" There was no reply from the angel and Dean hesitantly rested a hand on the Angel's good shoulder. There was another whimper and Dean shook the angel's shoulder gently, trying his best not to cause anymore damage to the beaten body next to him. A sigh of relief escaped him when Castiel's eyes opened, however the relief was short-lived when he saw the horror in them. "Cas?"_

_The angel turned to look at him before his body shuddered and the angel blinked rapidly, as if he was trying not to cry in front of the hunter. _

_"Cas….whatever you saw…" Dean tilted the angel's chin so that he was looking him in the eyes. "Whatever you saw, it isn't real. You're safe now Cas, you're safe."_

_Out of all the ways that Dean Winchester thought that the celestial being would respond to the words what happened next took him completely by surprise. The angel snuggled closer to him, body curling into a semi-fetal position. Dean instinctively drew him closer, holding the angel in his arms just like he used to do whenever Sam woke up from a nightmare. He carted his fingers through fluffy brown hair in a soothing gesture until the angel stopped trembling and slowly fell back to sleep._

**End Flashback**

Reaching down reluctantly, Dean brushed his hand over the angel's arm. "Castiel? Its time to get up Feathers." There was a grunt in response before the angel protested by pulling the pillow over his head, as if it would turn him invisible and make Dean leave him alone. "Preening Nap is over buddy, get up." The hunter attempted to lift the pillow off of the angel and frowned when the celestial being resisted.

A sly smile slid onto his lips and Dean couldn't stop the smirk. The angel had one weakness that would _surely_ get him to respond. Blasphemy.

"Jesus, Mary and fucking Joseph!" Dean cried out, "Look at that babe's rack. I mean Holy Shit dude!" A sigh escaped him when the angel pointedly ignored him and tried to return to the art of sleeping. Then another idea struck him and Dean didn't think before speaking, "Man, if Lucifer was chick and looked like that…" He whistled just for affect, "I'd bang her all night long and into the following nights!"

There was a low growl from the bed before Dean heard a low, "Blasphemy Dean."

"Would you look at this, Aurora's awake." Dean snickered as he looked over to see the angel sitting up.

"I don't unde-"

"Understand that reference, yeah I know." The hunter rolled his eyes. "You need to watch some movies man, because you're sounding like a broken record player."

"Why do I have to get up?" The angel's tone was grouchy and Dean knew that he'd have to tread carefully. He wasn't sure what Castiel would do to him if he was pissed off but he wasn't to keen on finding out.

"Time to check on the injuries." Dean made his way over to the angel and helped him out of the soft tee-shirt that he'd been wearing. Some of the bandages were stained with blood and Dean hissed at the sight.

"Is something wrong?" There was a hint of fear in the angel's voice as he brought his gaze to meet Dean's. The blue eyes were so damn innocent, so curious and….young looking.

"Its ok Cas," Dean tried to avoid answering the question. "Its ok." Not wanting to leave the angel, Dean texted his brother asking him to help him out. "Can you materialize your wings for me? I want to see how they're healing."

A shiver coursed through the angel at the request and Castiel looked over at his friend pleadingly. Showing his wings was as humans would put it, 'getting naked'. They were the most private part of him, the most intimate part of his form.

"Tell you what," Dean started when he saw the reluctance in his best-friend's eyes. "We'll leave that part for last."

There was an un-enthusiastic grunt from the angel before he pulled the covers back up over himself. A soft knock sounded on the door before Sam came in, dark brown eyes concerned.

"What's wr-"

"Just need some help doing this house call." Dean cut his brother off before he could finish the last word. The poor angel was already scared, there was no need to fuel the fear. Luckily Sam had caught the silent message and Dean saw his brother nod.

"So what first? The wings?"

A low snarl sounded from the bed as Castiel turned his body so that he was facing the two brothers. "Do you have… a fetish for wings?" The angel snapped as he glared back and forth between the Winchesters.

It took all of Sam's control to keep from laughing at the indignant look on the celestial being's face.

"It isn't funny." The angel growled when he spied the amusement in both of their eyes. His scowl only deepened when the brothers snickered before coming closer.

"Alrighty then, let's start with your torso." Dean carefully started to peel back the bloody bandages and he whistled lowly in surprise. "Jesus Christ, Cas."

"Blasphemy." The angel poked him and Dean felt something similar to electricity jolt through his body.

"Ow!" He complained, "What was that for?"

"Blasphemy." Castiel repeated. "Shall I continue to rewind and repeat?"

"Uh, no thanks man." Dean mumbled before returning his attention back onto the injury. He nodded to his brother and Sam carefully lowered the injured angel back onto the mattress. One of the particularly nasty cuts that ran from the right side of the angel's ribs to his left hip was bleeding badly. Dean frowned. "Cas, have you been bleeding all night?"

"No. You would have felt it if I had been. Why?" The angel attempted to sit up so that he could see what was wrong. Mammoth sized hands went to his shoulders and pushed him back down gently.

"Cas have you…have you moved around much?"

"No." The angel seemed to be staring past him with a strange look in his eyes. "You can't be here."

"Cas what the hell are you talking about?" Dean narrowed his eyes as he looked past his shoulder. Sam nudged him and he looked down at his friend. The angel was stiff, body rigid as he stared at someone or something behind him.

"How'd you get in here?" The celestial being's voice was small, almost sounding like frightened child as he leaned closer to Dean. Cas' trembling body pressed up against the older hunter as if he was trying to hide.

"You're mud-monkeys did a rather piss-poor job when it came to warding this dump." Uriel retorted, eyes flashing. "I believe we have some unfinished business."

"No, no, no, no, no…." Castiel was repeating the same word, over and over as he tried to hide behind Dean, his fingers curled into the other man's shirt as he trembled.

"Cas what's wrong?" Dean looked down at his friend with concern. The angel didn't seem to hear them though, all of his attention focused on the center of the room.

"Let me put it this way," Uriel sneered at his little brother, "Either you come with me or I torture your pets."

"You wouldn't." Castiel's voice was stronger, protective and determined. "I won't let you."

"You're not really in any condition to stop me little brother." The older angel crossed the room in several strides.

"That doesn't mean that I won't try." Castiel snapped back, forcing his ailing body to sit up, to move in front of the two Winchesters. "I will not let you touch them."

There was a mock-sigh of disappointment before the older angel allowed the humans to see and hear him. There were quite a few curse words from the oldest, but then again, Dean didn't have the cleanest mouth when he was startled. "So, you refuse?" The large angel shook his vessel's head. "I really thought that you were smarter Cas." He reached out to touch his little brother, smirking at the look of fear in Castiel's eyes.

It was then that his little brother did something that Uriel had never considered in his calculations. He was shocked as the room turned into a blinding white, the light coming from Castiel was the cause. Pain ripped through him, making Uriel gasp before he vomited.

When the light died down, he found himself staring at Castiel. The angel was still in the bed, still slightly in front of Sam and Dean. Long, large black wings were draped around the two boys protectively, shielding their delicate bodies from the raw energy he'd just projected at his older brother. The younger angel was breathing in pitiful wheezing gasps for air as he shook with the effort of remaining upright. "You will not touch them." The words were weak now, not quite as strong as they had been a few moments before. Then the angel stiffened, eyes growing wide with fear, shock and pain before he looked down at his chest.

A wrinkled hand was sinking itself back towards his beating heart, mercilessly tearing through the overlying muscles and various other tissues in the process.

"Did you think that I'd be gotten rid of so easily?" The ancient voice asked, eyes flashing. "I'm so sorry to let you down kiddo, but I'm still hungry." The fingers found his heart and clamped down on it. "And I'm starving for something good to eat."

The old man sensed Uriel attempting to come at him from behind and waved a hand carelessly, sending Uriel flying into the wall. The angel was rendered useless on impact and he simply sat there stunned. "I've been around far longer then you maggots." The man snarled. "I've been around longer then Eve."

Castiel's eyes widened even more at the revelation and he made sure that Dean heard what had just been said.

The hand in his chest jerked forward and Castiel screamed in pain as his heart was quite literally ripped out of his chest. The angel could only watch in disgust as the Ancient One took a bite, savoring the taste of an Angel's heart.

The mangled and yet still magnificent black wings faltered in their task of shielding the two humans and Castiel grimly fought to stay in between the boys and this new threat. He had to keep his friends safe. His body however, didn't agree with him and it rebelled, seizures rolling through it as it tried to function without a heart. They wavered one last time before the angel slumped forward, nearly face planting on the floor as a result.

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><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span> This chapter took me forever to write because my muses suddenly abandoned me and insisted on me painting some digital Castiel Whumpage instead of just typing it. Last night I sat my behind down and got to work though and this is the result! I hope you guys like it because I'm not really sure what to think about it yet XP**

**As always, please leave me a review, they really do make my day! **

**I would also like to thank everyone who has read this story, added it to their favorites, and watch lists!**


	6. Selfless Sacrifice

**Author's Note: ****I have never had a writing block this bad in my life. Everything I tried to type I ended up deleting out of disgust. Nothing was satisfying my unhelpful muses and so it vanished. I don't think I've ever gotten this frustrated trying to write **_**anything**_** before. Not even school papers that bore me to tears….  
><strong>**Disclaimer****: I do not own Supernatural. The creature is mine however.  
><strong>**Content****: A protective and rather pissed off Dean Winchester, an ailing Castiel, a troubled Uriel and a rather enraged monster. Oh, and mustn't forget about the deaths…**

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><p>Castiel gasped for air, his fingers going up to his heaving chest while his vessel's body shuddered uncontrollably and the angel could do nothing to stop it. The feeling terrified him; he'd never been unable to stop this body from doing something without his permission. He heard Dean call his name in confusion mixed with concern. The celestial being grabbed the comforter in an attempt to ride out whatever the hell his body was doing while managing to keep from face planting on the floor. A low whine sang from his vocal chords as he continued to spasm. The pain in his chest was horrendous, consuming every intelligent thought he tried to form. Dean's name escaped his lips as he felt his tedious grip on reality start to slip from his grasp. Black was forming along the edges of his vision and he fought against it with desperation. A searing pain shot through his <em>true<em> being when the old man took a bite from the heart and the angel groaned. His grip on the comforter tightened as he fought to keep his real voice from sounding.

Sweat soaked hair started to cling to his face but the angel couldn't bring himself to care as he tried to retreat deep into his grace. It felt _wrong_ and a frown marred his lips as he searched through it, trying to find whatever it was that was causing this.

The next bite left him quivering and curled while whimpers snuck past clenched teeth. His back arched and the angel shut his eyes. A rough and yet gentle hand carefully placed itself on his shoulder in a comforting gesture and the angel leaned into it. He was terrified and hurting but he wasn't alone. _He wasn't alone_. A labored sigh rocked through him and he felt his body start to relax. The respite was brief though and then shear agony lavished its administrations as it raced through the nerves of his body. Castiel's back arched while he tried his best to fight the scream that sought to release itself from his true form. He failed to do so, the pain to strong and the sound escaped him without the slightest attempt to be silenced. The angel was dimly aware of Dean rocking away from him while uttering a string of curses.

The Ancient One apparently didn't like the sound either as he refrained from taking a nibble at the heart and his eyes scrunched tight. Blood leaked from his ears and the skinny fingers tightened in a result. The scream cut itself off as the angel gave into the darkness that beckoned to him; his body flopping down onto the mattress once more.

Dean lunged forward, his hands grabbing the celestial being's shoulder as the angel slumped back onto the bed. A venomous glare was cast in the direction of the elderly old man sitting on the far corner of the bed. It would have been almost comical had the old man not been holding a half-eaten heart in his gnarly hands. Disgust flickered through green eyes as he eyed the blood that oozed out from in between the ancient fingers, staining the fabric of the bed with intricate patterns. What concerned the hunter the most was the glowing tendrils of a light blue that snaked its way through the blood that occupied its time by dripping from the still beating organ. "So," he tried to muster up some sarcasm to lace into his voice but at the moment Dean Winchester was finding that hard to do. "You going to tell me how to waste your sorry ass?"

A baleful and slightly annoyed brown eye rolled in its socket before gazing over at the young hunter. "And why," there was another careful, slow bite, "would I deign to tell you such…" The croaky voice stopped once more to nibble at the heart, "important information?"

Dean stayed silent, the muscle in his jaw working furiously as he ignored the creature and focused his attention on Castiel. His fingers gently pressed against the angel's throat, feeling for a pulse that he knew wouldn't be there.

"You want to know something interesting?" The Ancient One asked, head tilting in a gruesome mockery of the angel when the celestial being was confused. "The heart keeps beating outside of my victims' bodies. Doesn't matter if I don't eat it for days, it still pumps and their bodies still act as if the heart is inside their miserable meat suits." Thin shoulders shrugged and the old man nibbled once more on the struggling heart.

For a brief moment it reminded Dean of a caged bird, desperately trying to spread its wings in order to flee from whatever horror was chasing it.

"Angel hearts are a rare delicacy my boy," The man hissed possessively.

"So what do you want? A fallen star in the form of a girl?" Dean snapped sarcastically, green eyes dark with broiling emotions.

"No Tristan, I don't." The creature surprised Dean by catching onto his reference. "And those witches were idiots." A look of distaste adorned the elderly man's face as if he'd just eaten something extremely bitter. "Every fool knows that you don't eat a star's heart. No, that author got it all wrong, you see, the angel's were trying to tell the bloody idiot that witches could eat angel hearts if the circumstances were correct." The last part was a snicker as the old chest puffed out with self-assigned authority. "Isn't that right Castiel?" A decrepit finger trailed its way over the angel's jaw line making the celestial being shudder and attempt to lean away from the touch. A strange look crossed the demon's face as he peered down at Castiel's chest. "Ah, you are a sneaky one." He muttered, clawed fingers trailing down to the exposed chest. He sensed more then saw Dean's hand move as though to swat him away and he snarled, a deep feral sound that would have sent most people scramming. But Dean Winchester was not like most people and the Ancient One resented that. This would be so much more fun if the Winchester was quaking where he sat with fear rather then anger.

"You can call me Darrel." The demon said as an after thought, "It was my vessel's name after all."

"I'd rather call you Dick." The reply was a harsh retort, ground out through gritted teeth.

"Dean…" The demon shook his finger at the hunter in a rebuking manner as though he was a school teacher that had caught the oldest Winchester decorating the school hallways with graffiti. "That wasn't very polite of you." The brown eyes feigned a hurt expression as they regarded the younger man coldly. "That could have hurt my feelings."

"Didn't know you had any." The retort was snappy as the green-eyed hunter carefully helped his friend to sit up. The angel obviously didn't like lying on his back with his chest and stomach so vulnerable to whatever it was Darrel wanted to do next. There was an intent expression of concentration on his face and Dean narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what the celestial being was doing. "Cas?"

Blue eyes flickered up to meet his and Dean carefully moved the other being closer to himself in a protective manner. The angel leaned against him heavily, cheek resting on the hunter's shoulder as he curled up. Normally Dean would rather be torn apart by a Wendigo then to be caught 'snuggling' like this with anyone. He could make an exception for this though and so the hunter did, an arm wrapping around the seemingly frail body next to him. There was a soft whimper and Dean grimaced when he realized he'd been putting pressure on the celestial's shredded back. "Sorry Cas," he muttered quietly before his eyes flicked back up to watch the creature.

A movement from behind Darrel caught the hunter's attention and green eyes flicked to study the source of the motion. Uriel was slowly getting to his feet with a look of divine wrath adorning his already hard features.

Dean wasn't sure who he would rather face right now considering the options. He could go against Uriel seeing as he knew how to banish the bastard or he could try and go against a creature that claimed to be older then something known as an 'Eve'.

The soft tug on his shirt brought his attention back to the angel curled against his side and he frowned in confusion. Castiel was attempting to reach Dean's pocket knife, eyes gleaming with an unreadable emotion. _What the hell_? "Cas what…what are you doing?"

A grunt of effort was the angel's only reply before he managed to snag the handle with the tips of his fingers.

Dean swallowed thickly before he sighed and handed the blade to the angel, not wanting the celestial being to aggravate his injuries. There was a grateful flicker in the deep blue eyes before the angel slit his forearm carefully.

"Cas?"

The angel turned to look at him before forcing himself to sit up. A pained groan escaped the smooth lips of the celestial being as he twisted his torso so as to the see the headboard better. His fingers swept through the blood that his wrist was providing and started to draw.

The sigil appeared to be far more complex then anything Dean had ever seen before and the hunter watched with confusion. A low snarl snapped his attention back to the old man and his eyes widened. There were _freaking spikes_ growing out of the old man's back while skin turned leathery. Red eyes flashed into place and Dean tried to pull Castiel away from whatever the fuck he was painting before he pulled Sammy up onto the bed. He wasn't very gentle about it and a flash of guilt ran through him but he couldn't afford to take his time.

The Darrel thing was freaking scary and Dean sure as hell didn't want to stay in the same area as it. Long silver claws extended from gnarly fingers and twisted nails.

When the transformation was complete the creature narrowed its eyes before howling furiously when it spied what Castiel was doing. The over-sized mutant-like body trembled with rage before it turned back to look at Uriel.

Blue light seemed to light the other angel up from the inside out and the celestial being was staring at himself in horror. The burly angel's lips parted as though to say something but before any words could form the angel exploded into flames. The flames were a rich emerald green as they devoured the angel. Dean was relieved to see that nothing else in the room seemed to be burning….

A whimper from next to him caused Dean to look over at Castiel and he was horrified to see that his friend was starting to glow in the same manner that Uriel had been. Pure unadulterated fear was shining in the angel's eyes as he frantically finished the sigil. Emerald flames started to form around the angel as Castiel added the last symbol to the series of sigils and the angel writhed as he tried to bring his palm up to the sigils. With a desperate lunge forward, Castiel managed to slam his palm against the largest of the sigils before he threw his head back and _screamed_ in self-inflicted pain. The angel's body was rigid as he continued to hold his palm against the sigil.

_Dean,_ the hunter was startled when he heard Castiel's voice inside of his head, _close your eyes and make sure that Sam's eyes stay shut as well._

_Cas? What….what are you doing?_ Dean attempted to ask mentally. It was odd to be talking inside his head like this and he wasn't even sure if the angel even heard him.

There was a long pause before his friend answered him and even then the usually powerful voice sounded extremely weak. _I… I am going to drive the creature away. Dean… you must keep Sam from seeing Ruby. He mustn'-_ The angel's voice cut off completely and Dean reached for his friend mentally, searching to see if the celestial being was still present in his mind. The reassuring warmth was gone though and Dean fought the urge to panic. What had Cas meant when he said to keep Sam from seeing Ruby? The angel knew that Dean didn't approve of his little brother seeing the demon bitch anyways. _He mustn't what?_

A deafening roar sounded from somewhere to Dean's left and the hunter flinched reflexively before a shriek of pain made itself heard from where the angel was located next to him. A flash of bright light seemed to explode beside him and both sounds were abruptly cut off leaving a deafening silence behind.

The oldest of the Winchesters cautiously opened his green eyes, scanning the room before his heart rate picked up and he clenched his jaw. "Cas?" His voice was small and thick with a horrified grief as he stared at the empty spot next to him.

The spot that the angel had been occupying only a few seconds ago…

One could always point out that something was amiss when they were woken up by the roar of what sounded like a bear and a cougar combined. The strange yowling scream made the entire house tremble in the same manner that thunder sometimes could. Most people would be terrified and scared senseless but Bobby Singer was not like most people. He was not scared senseless, rather he was infuriated with being woken up from his well-earned sleep.

_Bobby, shut your eyes._

"What the hell?" The hunter looked around when the weak voice whispered through his thoughts.

_Shut your eyes, its for your own safety._

"Cas?" The hunter's eyes widened as he recognized the voice. Deciding that he'd best trust the angel, Bobby Singer closed his eyes and waited. A bright light suddenly illuminated his eye lids and then there was silence. Once the light vanished completely, Bobby grabbed his gun and quickly made his way up the stairs.

Bobby's senses were tingling and his muscles tensed before he entered the room where the boys had been and stopped in his tracks. A relieved sigh swept through him when he saw that Dean and Sam were ok, well pretty much ok. That wasn't what caught him off guard… The gruff utterance of , "Balls!" was heard as he followed the direction that Dean was gazing in.

_Starting on the floor, a feather was imprinted followed by many more. The scorch mark traveled up the side of the bed and into the bed itself. Dean's t-shirt also had the scorched marks on it as the right wing had left its imprint in a similar manner._

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>**: So… Uriel is now dead and we've gotten a glimpse of the Ancient One's true form. Castiel is….shall we say… missing? There's a reason why Dean's skin doesn't have feather imprinted burns in it, same with Sam…. I hope you guys liked this chapter, I'm not really sure what to think of it quite yet so feedback is greatly appreciated!**

**Also, for those of you who are waiting for the second chapter of Fight It Cas, you can expect to see that within the next 7 days. Its going through the final stages of editing and fixing right now.**


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